


War and Duty

by BrightLightsFullMoon



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, F/M, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, No actual mpreg, mentions of mpreg
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-24
Updated: 2013-08-26
Packaged: 2017-12-15 23:37:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/855276
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightLightsFullMoon/pseuds/BrightLightsFullMoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loosely based off of Mulan<br/>Stiles is an omega in a time of war and everybody knows the rules. 'Omega's are not permitted to fight with the army' but it doesn't stop him from running off when his father's life is endangered and being forced to go in disguise as a beta.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Mother? Why is it that I can’t go out and fight?” Cora sat with her knees folded under her petite body. Hands pressed tight onto her lap as she looked up at her mother on the throne. “Laura and Derek get to go out and fight”

"Your brother and sister are simply out patrolling our borders, Cora, training recruits simply to deal with simple misdemeanours" Queen Talia Hale was a graceful creature who was looked up to and adored by all of her subjects but none more so than her youngest daughter, in her fifteenth year but she was still so naïve about the world. Still just a pup in her mother’s eyes “Your place is here with me” A perfectly sculpted hand of claws reaches out to gently scrape over Cora’s silky hair.

The Kingdom of Beacon Hills was a large expanse of hills and beautiful landscape that extend from the bustling capital that housed the palace, to the farming outskirts and cities in the mountains. A kingdom that the Hale house had ruled over for generations.

Cora, being the youngest of her mother’s children, had to remain with her mother whilst her much older brother and sister were out protecting the kingdom that they would one day inherit. It made her feeling somewhat useless. “I believe I would be very useful in battle”

There was a loud scoff from the other side of the large hall that housed the silver and gold laced throne, covered in a light sheen of red velvet. The colour of the Royal House. “Princess Cora, you have never held a sword or ever had any form of battle training” The voice says, almost mocking.

“Peter” The Queen says, warningly

“What? Besides Cora knows the rules of the kingdoms. Of all the kingdoms, actually” The Alpha quips. “Omega’s cannot fight.” The queen gave a quick once over to her advisor who was writing something up., not far from where she sat “An omega’s body is not equipped to deal with the wounds that battle would inflict” Cora raised a head as if to say something but it was true, she was expected to know her place. Princess or not she was still an omega.

“Brother” The Queen gives a soft warning growl once again whilst taking her hand back from her daughter’s head. Sometimes she wishes that her younger brother could be a little more respectful.

That wasn’t going to happen.

"Omega’s cannot fight. You know that, Talia” Peter Hale was younger than the Queen and a lot more bitter because he would much rather be King than advisor to his sister. “You wouldn’t send a pregnant woman into battle” He points at his sister as he takes the parchment he had been writing on over to her. “It’s the same thing with an omega” Peter says, not caring for distasteful looks he received from Talia and Cora.

"Peter, you would do well to remember that this is my daughter you are addressing” Talia says, and Cora has to restrain herself from stick her tongue out at her uncle. A princess was elegant in all situations.

Peter waves her off as he looks at his sister. "You know I’m right. The laws wouldn’t be in place if I were wrong” Peter moves past Talia to get to Cora. “The best you can hope for now is to find a nice Alpha, marry him and then you can give him pups” Peter sneers at his niece.

"Peter, do you remember when we were children?” The queen frowns, “When I used to kick your ass anytime we were handed a sword or any other form of weaponry?" Talia smirks as she lifts hands to tie her thick raven curls back into a loose ponytail. “In fact, I kicked you ass in claw to claw combat as well”

Peter’s body froze at the words because even all these years later, he still classed being beaten by a woman, a shameful experience. “Those fights were just luck on your part, Talia”

“Oh?” She says, looking down at her daughter with a mischievous glint, one that should have been lost upon an elegant Queen. “Shall we have another bout? Just to make sure that it was just luck?” She rose from her throne and towered over her brother with ease.

"Well, we wouldn’t want to make Cora feel uncomfortable”. Peter watches as his sister discarded the heavy fur robe that wraps around her body, thumping loudly as it hits against the floor. Leaving the queen in the light silk material that wrapped around her legs and over her torso and arms like a second skin.

“Well it didn’t stop you before now did it?”  Talia says. “With all your talk of my daughter being nothing more than a broodmare to an Alpha” She keeps her composure as she advances on her younger brother but it was very clear that she was angry.

Cora watched in excitement. Her mother wasn’t just Queen but an excelled warrior as well. That much she knew but she had never had the joy of seeing her mother in battle.

At first, Peter thought his sister was joking but apparently this was not the case in the slightest. He was aware of just how skilled Talia was. She was not someone to trifle with. Even over light matters. “Okay, I take it back. I apologize, milady” He gives a small bow to the still seated princess.

“Apology accepted” Cora said but a part of her wanted to be spiteful and completely disregard the apology but she had to be graceful, poised and well mannered.

She knew she done well when her mother gave her a pleased smile.

“Honestly, Peter I expect better of you” Talia says as she looks at her brother. “Actually no, I don’t” The queen didn’t hold back the laughter as she caught the displeased look on her brother’s stubbled face. “You have been like this since we were children” Talia gives the furs on the marble flooring, a swift kick out of the way before she returns to her throne.

For a woman close approaching her fifties, she looked more radiant and beautiful than most women half her age. A beauty she passed down onto all of her three children.

Her eldest, Laura, was almost identical in looks with her but the similarities ran much deeper than just physical appearances and it was something that was always mentioned. From their mannerism to their skill in the battlefield. Could be why Talia choose her daughter to be her general.

Her only son, Derek was much more like his late father. Ruggedly handsome and more stoic than either of his siblings but just as talented in the art of swordsmanship as his elder sister, and when Laura becomes Queen, Derek would be her general.

“When will Laura and Derek be home?” Cora asks and Talia just gave her youngest an adoring look.

Cora was the youngest of the royal family and the only omega to be born to the Hale’s for centuries and for a long time it made her feel like less of a princess because of it but she was coming to terms with it nowadays.

“Soon I hope” She took the time to read the parchment that her brother had given to her, taking in the information that was being shown to her. “Peter, if a time comes that we to protect our boarders from an impending assault then I will pull every resource I have but I doubt that this is the time” Peter gives a roll of the eyes at his sister’s words as if he knew better but the talk of war and battle scared Cora a lot more than she would like to admit. So he says nothing, for now.

"Your majesty!” A small beta boy bursts through the doors to the great hall, taking the three members so the royal family by surprise. “The General brings urgent news” He sounds terrified as if he were carrying a huge burden upon his shoulders and the Queen gestured for the news to be read out to her.

What she was not expecting was her daughter and a guard of six men to push past the beta, entering the hall.

“Laura!” For a small moment Cora forgot her place as a princess and was just a girl who had been missing her elder sister. The omega princess dived into her sister’s arms and was easily lifted up by the Alpha general and the Queen didn’t have the heart to object to it. It was the sort of scene she wished she could see more often.

Cora’s hands grip as hard as they could at plates of Laura armour, the side of her head brushing against her cheek. “I missed you, I missed you, I missed you” Cora babbles happily, just like a child would do. She feels her sister’s grips on her hips as she was held up. She pulls her head back to look at her eyes, dark orbs staring at one another.

“I have missed you too, little sister, as has Derek” Laura’s arms tighten around her sister. “But sadly this is not a social visit, I have news I must relay to the Queen”

The smile that split of Cora’s face did not fade, she was just happy to be in her sister’s arms once more. “News?” She asks.

“You might want to sit down, Cora” Laura whispered she settled her down on the floor, careful to make sure that she does not  place her in a way that would make her trip up over her much too long gown of silver and lilac silk. “Please” She spoke, urging the omega to take place beside their mother once again.

Laura was plated up in armour, armour with lashings of red to show her royal lineage, which according to Peter was a terrible idea but Laura cared not for her uncle’s nonsense. His armour had the same red so why could see not bare it? Her thick raven hair was tied up in a bun so it wouldn’t get in her way and also in an attempt to make her look less of a future queen and more like a fearless warrior.

Cora always says her sister could cut down the enemies by day and by night, take her place in the royal court as the great princess she was.

Laura was the Warrior Princess. And soon would be the Warrior Queen. Like their mother before her.

“Where’s Derek?” Cora looks around for her brother, but his trademark black armour which her brother always wore, but it was nowhere to be seen amongst Laura’s guard and that settled a sickening feeing in the pit of her stomach and before Laura even spoke her face drains of all its colouring.

Her brother could not be dead.

"The western border has been crossed by the Elitist pack. Led by the traitor Deucalion!" The comment made everyone one in the room stand on end, Cora’s question ignored for the time being. “Fifty-Thousand of them” Queen Talia rose to her feet suddenly and for a split second worry seemed to cross her face but it didn’t last long before raising her eyes to the beta at the door.

"Take Cora to her room” She orders and the Omega Princess was ready to object but she could feel the tensions that were heavy in the air. She was a princess to the people, not a princess who knew the ways of warfare. She would be no help in this situation. That much she knew.

The beta hurried over to the princess, as to wrap a soft arm around her shoulders to get the princess out before words were fired.

Cora let herself be pulled off by the beta, looking up at her sister to hear her words as she passed “Our brother is fine” The words were whispered to Cora as she was ushered away but they now offered little comfort in the given situation.

The Queen kept her lips pressed in a tight line that gave nothing away until Cora was out of the room. “I want an army raised” She says, with an air of power that would only be heard from a Queen.

Laura caught the smug look her uncle sent her mother. The look that said ‘I knew this was coming’

“I will offer my best men to protect you” She reached down onto her knees. She may have been the next in line to the throne but right now she was a general at her Queen’s service. Nothing more, nothing less.

“No. You will not” Talia took slow but light steps down so she was closer to her daughter, her general, the most trusted person in her court. Even more so than her own brother. “Peter, will go and hand out the notice through the cities, the town and villages for an army.” A sharp gaze and Peter was nodding in agreement.

The advisor may have his own feelings on the matter but now his sole duty was to do as his Queen asked him.

"Mother!” Laura turns toward her mother, forgetting where she was for just a moment as she desired to protect her mother just because she was her mother and not because she was her Queen "Your Highness" She quickly reprimanded herself. “Your safety and that of the Princess’ is paramount”

"The safety of my people is paramount, Laura" Talia says firmly as she moved so she was shoulder to shoulder with her daughter. "Do not for a minute think that family comes above your duty as general because it does not." Talia was aware of the look her brother was giving her but it was words she gave all of her general over the years of her reign. Not just her daughter.

"Then I shall make it just as important" Laura says and Talia gave an appeasing nod to her daughter’s decision. Being part of a ruling family at the time of war was a difficult time because loyalties and priorities were tested. "Peter, read me the conscription notice” She turns to walk over to her brother; his duties were at their utmost importance now.

The advisor grabs another parchment of paper before unravelling to read it aloud.

 _“I, Peter Hale, Chief Advisor to Queen Talia Hale, hereby come with urgent news from the heart of Beacon Hills_  
Deucalion, a dangerous and rabid Alpha from lands and traitor to the crown, has invaded out homeland.  
As by the national decree, an Alpha or Beta from every family must join the national armies”

The Queen looked at her brother and rolled her eyes but it was a good enough decree. "Be on your way with a few men to shield you from danger, Peter” She looked at two Alpha’s of Laura’s guard.

"I shall ready myself and hand the notice to a few others before covering the areas to the west. I shall ride out with you” He pressed a reassuring hand to Laura’s should before he was off.

"Good Luck, brother” Talia says with a heavy heart, watching her brother leaving. She turned to the remaining guards. “I would desire a moment alone with my general” The soldiers gave the queen bow before taking their leave.

Laura watches them eave before turning to look at her mother. “I will take my best troops out to stop, Deucalion and I will personally construct a guard to be stationed here for you and Cora" Laura says, placing a hand on the hilt of her sword, "Derek’s training and missions has been going well and I believe now it is time to give him the news he had been waiting"

"Of course, if you feel he is ready for the burden” Talia suddenly feels much less like a great Queen and more like a terrified mother which underneath everything was exactly what she was.

Laura gives an assuring smile. Not that it really gave the Queen any comfort. "He is ready. I shall take my leave and assemble the army and put a swift end to Deucalion" The general gave one final bow before turning on her heel to leave

"Laura” The voice came out as nothing more than a weak murmur. It caused Laura to still before turning once again and everything formal was stripped away. It was no longer ‘The Queen and her General’ it was simply a terrified mother and her child.

Talia throws her arms around her daughter and pulls her close so she could just hold her for as long as she could. It wasn’t often she could let her guard down.

"We’ll be fine, Mom” A part of Laura often forgot she was still a young woman. A young woman with a family whom she loved and loved her.

"My beautiful warrior” Talia soothes, unwrapping her arms from around her eldest daughter so she could press the pads of her fingers to Laura’s chin, tipping her head up. “The great defender of the crown and one day you will be the Great Warrior Queen”

“Never as great as you” Laura says, and she felt like a child again. A little girl whose greatest idol was her mother. The feeling was only more reinforced when she feels her mother’s soft lips against her forehead.

Talia finally had the strength to pull away from her daughter but she done so with a heavy heart. "Give my regards to your brother; he’s been away from me much too long."

Laura took a few minutes to compose herself, returning to the General frame of mind. “I give myself two months at the most.” She was quick to assess deadlines in her head and rarely did she miss them. “I will bring back Deucalion’s head on a spike back for you. I will decimate his army”

“Be careful” Talia spoke with caution. “This man, this wolf, is a monster and I don’t want anything brought to the palace that will scare Cora.”

Laura understood. Her younger sister was too young to understand the more gruesome merits of battle.

"Of course” She bowed before straightening herself up. I shall leave to set up my strategy and inform Derek of his new duties. Perhaps we may find another fearless Alpha in the midst.” She smiles.

* * *

 

“An omega must remember that the most important rules of all is that they have to appease their mate. Do whatever their Alpha or Beta, desires” Stiles sat with same look of distaste he had on his face any other time he was force to listen to the crap which was every week.

“Stiles, are you paying attention” He heard the voice in his ear that proceeded to ask the same question that he asked every other time and Stiles would always give the same response.

“No”

"Mr Harris is going to be furious” The other omega whispers, with the undertone of worry than never seemed to go away.

“Isaac, I’m not scared of him like you are” Stiles wonders sometimes how he hadn’t been throwing out of these mandatory classes that were forced upon him. "He’s an arrogant dick who thinks he’s better than us just because he is an Alpha"

"But Alpha’s are better than us” Isaac says.

"Says who!?” Stiles exclaimed much louder than he had intended.

"Something to say Stiles?” Omega’s didn’t get a titles like Alpha’s and Beta’s did. They weren’t seen to be as worthy of it. The only omega known to have a title was the young Princess but that was because she was born into royalty. But even then some Alpha’s believed that was spitting on traditions. Alpha’s like Mr Harris who taught the ‘Omega Obedience class’ that all of his village’s omega’s were made to attend. “You may have to read over the rules again. Rule number #2 is an Omega will not speak with their Alpha’s permission” That’s all this class was to Stiles. Rules. Rules supposed to keep an omega in their place.

“I know what the rules are” Stiles says, voice clear with boredom. “You make us read over them about twenty times every time we are here” Stiles says. “But you have a little fault with reciting rule number two to me. It says that I cannot speak unless my Alpha permits me to” Stiles rose from his seat and he could practically feel Isaac tensing up at his side. “Since I am not married as of yet that means my Alpha is one in my direct family which in my case is my father” Stiles knows he was going get in trouble for this but he was at the point where he could not care. “And on that note my father doesn’t decide to make me feel like crap just because I am an omega!”

That rubbed the Alpha at the head of the class the wrong way and he could see that. “Are you challenging me?” He asks and the comments struck fear into every other omega in room expect Stiles. “You are an omega, you’re place is to be wed to an alpha or beta and breed him pups” The words made Stiles’ blood boil

“And what if I don’t want to do that?” He gritted through his teeth to contain his rage.

His rage only grew at the loud laugh that escape from Harris’ throat. “You don’t have a choice. It is the omega way of life”

“So I’m not seen as good enough to be anything other than a broodmare?” He asks, the rage becoming much more evident in his voice now. “You sit back and think its okay for omega’s to get wedded off to Alpha’s or Beta’s who don’t care about our wellbeing? Who might throw us around because it makes them feel tough” Maybe it was because he had been reading too much; maybe he had been listening to his heart’s desire too much.

“You should remember your place, Stiles or else you will never get a husband” It was funny to Stiles how the Alpha thought that would have insulted him.

“Good” He retorted. “I want to go out and see the world, do something with my life that I want” His fist balled up at his side. “My own life is mine to lead. It isn’t yours to dictate what I can and cannot do with it” Stiles has always said he was lucky with the family he came from. Many omega’s come from family’s that would abuse them. Just like Isaac at his side but Stiles had a family who loved him for who he was. His status as an omega never made any difference to them.

Harris just made a scoffing sound. “You think your life is yours to lead but you are an omega” He kept saying the words as if it would make Stiles change his views.

It wouldn’t.

“So you think you can tell me what I can and cannot do simply because my anatomy is slightly different to yours. You think you are better than me because you aren’t!” The words elated a shock gasp from the other omega’s. “You are a stuck up bully who likes to think he is better than others but you are a damn coward.” Stiles turned so he was facing Isaac and the others. “I’ve heard the tales from my father, how Mr Harris here ingested a certain kind of wolfsbane just so he could avoid going to battle” This was years ago but Stiles father had told him the story and it only heightened his disdain for the Alpha.

“Get. Out” Stiles take that as a note of victory.

“Gladly” He gives a mock bow, strands of chestnut hair falling over his eyes as he done so. “Let’s go, Isaac” He grabbed his friends shoulder to pull him up.

“Don’t you dare, Isaac!” Harris threatened.

“What will you slap him around as well?” Stiles asks, and Harris looked as if he had just been slapped in the face. “Yeah I heard about that one as well?”

The sad thing was that violence against Omega was pretty damn common and it all stemmed from Alpha’s like Harris who seemed to think they were superior. And Alpha’s like that were everywhere and poor Isaac had been forced to deal with that. He knew the tale of his best friend, kicked around and abused by his own father. The thought of it made Stiles’s heart swell with rage. But Isaac was safe now; he lived with Stiles’ Aunt Melissa who took care of him.

He also knew about Harris’ former omega, and he knew what he had done to the poor girl.

The alpha was stunned into silence for long enough to allow Stiles and Isaac escape from the wretched hall that they had been confined to for the past two hours.

“I cannot believe that you just done that” Isaac says, hushed as if he was terrified that someone would over hear them.

"He had it coming” Stiles laughs as he linked his arms with Isaac’s. "Someone was going to have to do so why not me?"

Isaac didn’t say anything, just gave a small smile as they walked through the village, allowing them some peace and quiet. “I think you and your father are to come over for dinner tonight”

"I think so" It was hard to keep track of sometimes. “So, uh, how are you and Scott getting along now?”

"Well…" Isaac’s face flushes as he starts to speak. "He’s been really nice and very gentleman-like. Melissa hasn’t really said anything about it. She just has this knowing smile on her face.” Melissa was Stiles’ maternal aunt and Scott was his elder cousin who had started to court Isaac. Something Stiles found hilarious.

"Awe, so damn adorable" Stiles coos as he detached his arm from Isaac’s as they found themselves getting closer and closer to the lake close to the outskirts of the village.

"Well I suppose it does go to show that not all Alpha’s are horrid” Isaac says.

“True” Stiles starts to fumble around, attempting to pull his shoes off which wasn’t intelligent thing to do whilst he was still standing. “I still maintain that Scott isn’t actually an Alpha. He’s far too bumbling to be one” Not a few seconds later, Stiles finds him face to face with the rocks of the shoreline after a not so graceful fall. “Okay so karma didn’t want me saying that”

Isaac knew he should have gone to help Stiles up but he couldn’t stop himself from doubling over from a fit of laughter. “Apparently so. Can’t say much about Scott being bumbling, can you?” It takes a moment for Isaac to compose himself before hurrying over to help Stiles up. “Beside he’s not that bumbling, Stiles” Isaac always feels most comfortable around Stiles or Scott and it had been that way since he went into Melissa’s care. “I mean he is really good with a sword”

Stiles hooks an around Isaac’s shoulder as his fellow omega helps him up. “I can’t decide if that is a euphemism or not” He says, wiggling his brows at Isaac.

“It’s not” Isaac says, being a typical buzzkill

“Just checking” He threw his shoes down before moving away from Isaac so he could go let his feet dip into the cool water. “I was born to be in the water. Maybe I’m part merman”

"I doubt that very much” Isaac says, following suit and pulling his shoes in a much more graceful manner than Stiles had achieved, before ducking his toes in. “It is calming though”

Stiles said nothing as he closes his eyes over because this was peaceful and it felt like a shame to ruin the calming serenity of the moment.

It was broken a few moments later by Isaac. “If your father knows Harris is such a bad guy, why does he not do anything about it?” Stiles’ father was one of the important members of the village and upon reflection; Isaac wonders if that was why Stiles was so outspoken. Not that he was complaining about it.

"Not sure actually” Stiles sighs. Thinking on it he really couldn’t offer an answer to that one. If it was up to Stiles he would have had Harris banished from the village long ago. “I should find some rabid wolves and throw him to them” Stiles laughs

Isaac found himself laughing along at the comment. “Good luck with that” Isaac starts to wade a little further into the water but his body froze at the boomming voice behind them

“Stiles!”

“Oh crap” Stiles mutters as he looked over to see his father standing with his arms crossed over his chest and a stern expression painted on his face.

 

* * *

 

"This is where I leave you and go west to meet with Derek" Laura pulls her horse right up aside her uncle’s. They had been riding together for the last day and a half since leaving the palace.

"You left the brat on his own for this period of time?” Peter spoke with clear distaste. “What wonderful play of battle, Laura. I am in awe of prowess” Peter didn’t care that he was advisor to the Queen, he would find the time somewhere to make sarcastic remarks.

“He is your nephew and you underestimate him” Laura says. “Would you challenge him? I know you wouldn’t dare to challenge me and who do you think has being training him all the years”

“I was going to say your fool of a captain” Peter remarks

Laura just scoffed at her uncle’s comment. “You are sly, uncle but you aren’t very battle handy are you? Captain Finstock is the best at what he does. He trains the majority of the recruits” She moves the path of her mare to cross that of her uncle’s. “His methods are a little odd but he gets the job done”

"In battle you need more than a powerful bloodlust, Laura” Peter had never seen battle himself because it wasn’t really his thing. Of course it didn’t make him any less of an asset.

“I am aware of that, how do you think I got to this rank?” Laura motions for her troop to continue onwards whilst she conversed with her uncle.

Peter had done the same with his guard. Leaving the pair alone

"Because your mother is Queen…" He offers

Laura gave a chuckle but her uncle was beginning to test her patience. "No. I defeated the previous general in the three areas that are crucial to warfare. 1.) Strategic precision" She held one clawed finger up. “2.) Skilled at the art of battle and the techniques required in battle” She flicked a second finger up. “And thirdly devotion to the cause and to ones troops. So that is how I acquired my position, remind me how you got to yours uncle?”

"I have this position because your mother needs an intellectual head at her side”

"That almost sounds as if you are insulting your Queen” Laura snorts. “That is treason”

"Is it also treason for wanting to slap my bratty niece every so often?” Peter says but was surprised by the laugh that erupted from Laura’s throat

If anyone else had heard that, they would have had swords that Peter’s throat but Laura saw the humour in it. "Maybe but I will let it slide." Laura looked over the meadow which they were standing it. Peter was heading north to the villages and Laura to west to return to her camp. All around them were blooming flowers, flashes of blues, yellows and pinks. “Father used to bring me and Derek here when we younger for a few days every year.” She says softly. “We only got to being Cora once before…” She let her head hang and memories flooded back. Ones she had tried so hard to repress.

Peter saw the vulnerable side of the general, something he had seen since the girl was a teenager "Your father died a noble death. A death fit for a king and his sacrifices were not all in vain." It was little comfort to her.

“But much too early. Cora can barely remember him. She was just a pup.” It was always something quite upsetting to Laura and Derek that they’re little sister had few to no memories of their father

"I understand” He says, reaching over to clasp his fingers around Laura’s chin to raise her head a little. “But you are every inch your father’s daughter. People always say you are like your mother but you have the best of both of your parents”

It was rare that Peter could act serious and sensitive and Laura was thankful he was acting as such now. Thankful she could confide in him.

“Thank you, Uncle” She spoke with a small smile and a lone tear that slid from her eye.

“Now you go ahead and get Derek into shape. You are going to prove to everyone who has ever doubted you that you are fit for duties as general” Peter let his hand slide from her chin, wiping away the tear from her cheek.

“I will” She sat up straight on her mare and smiles at her uncle. “I will see you in a few days, Uncle. Then you can call Derek a brat to his face” She chuckles before clicking her heels for the horse to begin riding away.

“Look forward to it” Peter calls after her before making his own horse ride onwards to catch up with the men he had ordered to ride on.

He knew what was happening now, and he would rather not telling Laura at this moment in time because it would enrage her and she wouldn’t just put herself in danger. She would put the lives of everyone in her command at risk.

“I’m just going to have to ride into battle with her” He whispers to himself and he knew this would happen and he had warned Talia of this for years now but his sister had chosen to ignore him.

He would be having serious words with his sister when he returned home.

If he returned home.

 

* * *

 

“I think he has a point” Stiles always liked it when someone agrees with him. “I mean that Mr Harris has been a pain in everyone’s ass for years”

“Mom!” Scott exclaims at his mother’s tongue.

“What, you know I’m right!” Melissa still had the appearance on a woman in her late twenties. Thick curly raven hair that was pinned elegantly onto the back of her head.  Porcelain skin that was so flawless, Stiles had admit he was jealous of how perfect it. Dull blue eyes that weren’t subject to much change due to her beta status. It never stopped her from telling people off. Despite their status.

"Melissa, please do not encourage him!" Stiles grumbles when his father spoke since he was in serious trouble . “Regardless of anything, Stiles should not be causing scenes like that.”

“I gotta say I do have to agree with Stiles, uncle” Scott says, keeping his head down as he started to pick at his food.

"Of course you do because you have to agree with me” Melissa points the serving spoon at her son. Stiles always found it hilarious that despite the fact Scott was an Alpha and his mother was a beta, he was still unwilling pull rank on her. Something that wasn’t very common. Scott just respected his mother too much which was actually really adorable. “My precious little Alpha” The beta coos, pitching Scott’s cheek.

“M _ooomm_ m” Scott complains like a child. “Not in front of Isaac” He keeps his voice low but it was still heard.

"Aw, precious little Scotty” Stiles took any opportunity to tease his elder cousin simply because it was fun.

Scott just groaned and turned to look at Isaac. "Sorry you had to deal with Stiles’ shenanigans."

Stiles looks pretty insulted by the comment. "It’s wasn’t so bad, we got out of the class and we got to go the lake to it wasn’t all that bad." Isaac says.

"See, I’m like a liberator” Stiles grins but his father didn’t look at all impressed by the comment. "Oh are you seriously not going to talk to me because I made a few comments? Mostly about how my life is my own so how is that such a crime?"

"Stiles, I understand but you do not bring things but that I have told you in confidence as cause to humiliate someone" John Stilinski was a large man and many people in the village were intimidated by him. He had the sort of appearance that commanded respect wherever he went. Although that presence was completely lost upon Stiles.

“Well I think he deserves it” Melissa says as she finally settled herself down. “Do you remember what he said to us after Ella’s death” Hearing his mother’s name still hurt Stiles a little even though it had been nearly five years now since her passing.

His father had taken the passing hard as did Melissa since she and Ella were fraternal twin sisters. Stiles, himself, didn’t come out of his room for almost six months after his mother’ death. “Melissa, please. Let’s not stir in some resentment.”

“What did he say?” Stiles asks

“Nothing” His father seemed rather determined to put a stop to this conversation and it only stirred Stiles’ curiosity.

Isaac and Scott kept silent as the continued to eat their dinners but were curious to see where this conversation was going to go.

“You can just get over that?” Melissa looks at her brother-in-law. “If you hadn’t held me back I would have clawed his stupid face off”

Stiles always like it when his aunt started to get aggressive because it was rather amusing but in this circumstance he was just curious. “What did he say?” He repeats.

Melissa gave a once over to John who just kept his mouth shut "He said she was an out of line omega and she got what she deserved for being disobedient" The clatter from Stiles dropping the knife in his hand, tumbling to the floor made Isaac almost ump out of his skin.

“He what!?” Stiles roared, eyes flashing amber which they rarely done. It was a testimony to show just how angry he was.

“Did he really say that?” Isaac asks and was answered by a curt nod from Stiles’ father who was silently eating. “That’s brutal” Isaac says.

“I should kill him” Stiles had been angry in his time. Of course he had been but he had never been this angry. He had never been so full of rage.

"I was ready to do so but your father held me back" Melissa was the village healer and a very talented one at that so she usually had such a sunny disposition but she had her moments.

“We were mourning the passing of my wife, Melissa” Stiles could hear his father getting slightly more rattled.

“And that of my sister” She seethes. “That’s what made it all that more disgusting. We were trying to deal with the passing of someone we loved more than he could imagine and he came out with _that!”_

"Enough!” The booming voice of the eldest Alpha was enough to put anyone in their place. It resulted in everyone hanging their heads. “We are having dinner. We do not need to bring old grudges up for the sake of it”

"Sorry, Alpha" It was customary to apologize to an Alpha in such a situation. And like a good omega, Stiles found himself apologizing.

“Thank you” The awkward silence hung over them for about ten minute before Scott spoke up.

"So I’m ready to go onto my archery training next" He says and it did make the atmosphere a little less awkward.

“I wanna learn” Isaac peaks up with a smile looking over at Scott. “I think it would be a cool skill to learn”

“Maybe Scott can teach you once he gets better” Melissa gave Isaac a smile and Stiles just watched the scene saying nothing. He was still furious at the discovery of what Mr Harris had said about his mother after he passing.

“Maybe you should seek out, Lady Argent. Best Archer in the Kingdom as I have heard” John says once he finally finished the food in front of him.

“Who is Lady Argent?” Stiles asks

"She is the daughter of Chris Argent” Scott informed Stiles, looking smug about knowing something he did not. “He helped win the last war. Broke off from the family and swore allegiance to King and Queen.”

"Aren’t we smart" Stiles says, and he sounds almost annoyed.

“Yeah but they live like way over, miles from here” Scott says and looks over a Isaac. “I wouldn’t leave you. Not if I could help it" There was a small moment and Stiles was almost jealous for the pair of them.

"I’m finished, can I be excused?” Stiles asks and was allowed to take his leave. Perhaps that was why he was so outspoken to hide the fact he wasn’t the perfect and obedient omega that was expected of him. He found himself walking closer to the courtyard of the house he shared with his father just to escape the atmosphere that was bringing him down.

He was lucky to have the house he did have with his father and the large garden that allowed for his mother to be buried at her home. The home she built with her husband and that brought a small tear to his eyes.

Right in the middle of the garden was a blooming and very beautiful willow tree which bloomed right over his mother’s grave.

It was his place to come for comfort. Somewhere where he didn’t feel so alone.

“Hi mom” He settles himself down on his knees, wrapping his furs around his frame to shield him from the evening wind. “Things have been a little hectic today” Somewhere in the back of him mind a voice screamed at him that this was stupid. The dead were dead and that was that.

The voice attacked him every time he came out here but he always found a way to silence it.

“I found out what that asshole said about you after you left us, Mom” He struggled to get the words out through the rage he was still feeling. How could someone even do that to a grieving family?

He would remember those words even if he was only finding out about them now. He would forever remember them.

"I’ve been a little shit but I don’t think I can help myself, mom" Stiles says weakly. "All the omega’s in the village have potential mates. Isaac and Scott are happy with one another and I don’t seem to have anything in life going for me." Stiles wonder if he was going to just have to resign himself to being a normal omega. Having a mate we probably wouldn’t even love, having pups and spending the rest of live not being as happy as he would want to be.

“Times are changing” For a split second he thought it was his mother speaking to him. In some form.

Sadly it wasn’t

It was Melissa. He had forgetting how much she sounded like his late mother.

“Not fast enough” He says as he shuffles to the side to allow Melissa a space beside him. “I want to do something with my life. Something more than the bounds around my status will allow.”

Suddenly Stiles feels the warming embrace of his aunt’s arms around him body. “And you will achieve that, in time but for now you need just bind your time, as it were” It was almost as if he was in his mother’s embrace once again and it feels so relaxing to him.

The sensation was one he never wanted to lose.

"I’ve been binding my time" Stiles says against the woollen material of his aunt’s dress, relaxing more into her hold. "It has done nothing for me so far, if anything it just makes things worse. My father is losing patience with me and I can almost see it when he looks at me"

"How can say that? How can you think that?” Melissa pulls back so she could grip Stiles by his shoulder in order to force her nephew to look at her. "You are everything that is wonderful about your father’s life. He would be nothing if he didn’t have you. You are what kept him sane after your mother’s passing" Melissa spoke with urgency, as if she was trying to make Stiles see what she saw. Just like what Harris tried to do but his aunt’s message was much kinder.

Maybe she was telling the truth.

"Your mother always used to tell me ‘What is for you, will not go past you" Melissa raises a hand to brush Stiles’ hair out of the way of his face. "There is something about you, Stiles. You have greatness nipping at your heels” Stiles tries to find the off heartbeat that would indicate that his aunt was doing nothing more than trying to make him feel better but he could not find it.

"Greatness and Omega tend not to go together” Stiles scoffs. “At least that’s what Harris thinks”

"Are you going to listen to someone, like Harris?” Melissa snorts. “One of these days, someone is going to smack that pathetic excuse for an Alpha in the face and I am going to be there when it happens."

"I hope so" Stiles chuckles before letting his head rest once again on his aunt’s shoulder.

"There are omega’s who will stick to the life they are expected to lead and there is nothing wrong with that” Melissa says. “But those who want to break away and find and make something more of themselves, there is nothing wrong with that either”

“No matter what anyone says?” Stiles asks.

Melissa laughs and nods. "Exactly!"

 

* * *

 

The next morning, Stiles finds himself back at the lake because he didn’t desire to have a confrontation with Harris. He wasn’t even supposed to be in class today but he knew the Alpha would be lurking around somewhere and he wasn’t sure if he would be able to stop himself from lunging after finding out what he said about his mother.

That sad thing was that more Alpha’s were like than weren’t.

‘Note to self: Do not get involved with arrogant Alpha’s. Ever.’ He muses.

He still mulls over his aunt’s words as he wades out into the water. Far enough that his legs up to his knee were enveloped. He should care about his breeches being soaked but it wasn’t a concern

“How are you feeling?” It didn’t take long for Isaac to find Stiles because the lake was their spot. Very seldom was it visited by anyone else. At least this certain part of the lake.

“Okay I suppose but I know if I see Harris I will be out for his blood so staying here might be my best chance to avoid that” His ears picks the sounds of the stones tumbling with every step that Isaac took towards him.

There was some kind of deep and more emotionally binding between the two omegas. Not just because they were each an omega but something that was more driven by emotion than anything else.

It has been six years since Melissa found Isaac when he was nothing more than a battered and bloody mass of skin and bone. Stiles still could not fathom to this day why anyone would want to do something like that to someone like Isaac.

They had latched onto one another the moment they saw each other. Somehow Stiles had always felt like he knew Isaac long before they actually met. Of course he had never brought this up with the other omega to see if he felt the same. He never found it to be something all that important. It was just a nice feeling.

Stiles wriggles his toes in the waters as he feels the sand sieving through them. An odd but nice sensation. “If you could do something, Isaac, something more than just staying to be a mate to someone, would you?” Stiles asks. Of course in order to go out and do something there would have to be something to get done. They lived far out from the city. It had been over a decade since the war, since his father had gone off to protect his land and came back a man or honour

 Since then nothing had really happened. At least nothing that would entice Stiles enough for him to leave his village to seek it out.

“I don’t think I could” Isaac says, he sounds almost torn over the idea. Stiles looks over his shoulder at the other. Isaac had always been rather tall for an omega, something he has had to deal with not in the best way since he arrived here. His hair was a thick mess of light brown curls, arrange in such a way that when the suns hits off of the locks, it almost looks like a halo.

Isaac was the perfect omega. He looks like a heavenly deity; he acts as is appropriate for an omega. He is everything Stiles knew he should be.

Yet at the same time he was everything that Stiles was glad he wasn’t

Most Alpha’s choose their omega’s based on three values. 1.) Pure aesthetic value because an omega was supposed to look perfect. 2.) Obedience, because what kind of Alpha would want an omega who wouldn’t do as they are asked, one that would not hold their tongue. And 3.) ones that would do well in bearing children, preferably sons.

Stiles is pretty damn sure he does not have of those required qualities. As opposed to Isaac who had all of them and no doubt he and Scott would soon be making their mating official and not long after that would come the tiny pitter patter of paws against the stone flooring.

“Would you?” Isaac asks and it was a rather stupid question on his part. Stiles just scoffs and finds himself just stilling in the water. Just for long enough for Isaac to walk up to him.

Everywhere he went, everywhere he had ever been, Stiles had been told that he would never be the perfect omega. Told he would never net himself an Alpha who could lavish attention on him, or one that could look after him. Over the course of time he had come to realization that he doesn’t want that.

Even if everyone was trying to run his life for him.

“I would take any damn opportunity to get out of here and prove myself” Stiles just set his eyes on the rolling hills, mixes of greens and white that lay far in the distance. “I could go out and travel the whole kingdom, helping people or doing something that nobody would expect of me” Stiles cracks his neck to the side and attempts to envision himself doing what desires but even then he can’t actually see himself doing it.

Dreams were a comforting thought. A pleasant desire but most of the time the hard push of reality knocks them out of reach.

"I would miss you" Isaac says softly, and it was a nice comfort to hear that. "I mean who would I have when Scott is away doing his training" He lets his eyes follow the same path as Stiles’ letting them linger on the distant hills. “A lot of us would miss you but I suppose that when you return you will have something to shove in Harris’ face. Show him you are more than what he says you are?” Isaac offers, and Stiles liked the sound of that.

After all what was better than proving someone you hate wrong.

In Stiles’ eyes. Nothing.

“I will get out of here” Stiles promises, more so to himself than to Isaac. “I’ll bring you something back when I return of course.” For him getting out of the village and proving himself to everyone was enough for him.

"Go to the Heart of Beacon Hills” Isaac smiles. The Heart of Beacon Hills was the nickname for the Great City. Where the royalty and nobles dwelled. The only person in the village that had ever been there was Stiles’ father who told him the stories of the night lights glistening like precious jewels the hustle and bustle of the markets and the sheer and untouched beauty of the Grand Palace. Home of the Hale Family, rulers of all of Beacon. “I would love to go there” Isaac says with a voice full of wonder that just made Stiles’ face erupt into a smile.

“Well I’ll go and I will bring a piece of the city back to you” Stiles smiles, “Maybe if I get a horse of my own then we could take a trip there when I return” By then Isaac would be a kept omega and he would no doubt have to acquire permission from Scott to take him. Or just drag Scott along with him. The latter of those options sounded the most likely. It wouldn’t be hard to get his cousin to listen to him.

"I like that idea” Isaac hums.

Stiles flickers his gaze up at him, before just closing his eyes over to let himself blend into the sounds around them.

The light crashing of the waves onto the shore of the lake, the casual chirping of the birds and the rustling of the trees in the wind. Stiles may have hated more than half of the people in the village, he like the simplicity of the place and how beautiful it really was.

The town was like a little diamond in the rough of the Kingdom.

The People? Not so much.

“Do you hear that?” Isaac asks, and Stiles tries to focus on something other than the sounds of nature all around him. 

“What _?”_ He tries hear something other than what he was supposed to hear but he couldn’t pick anything up. Of course Isaac had very sensitive hearing. He could pick up things much better than Stiles could.

“Horses” Isaac says, pulling out of the lake to walk back up to the shore and with each step he took, the thundering of the hooves just seemed to get loud. “How can you not hear that?”

Stiles just watches Isaac, not moving.

“Stiles, they’re coming to the village. We have to tell your father” Isaac pulls his shoes on with a frantic urge. The sounds were worrying him.

"Okay fine but I still can’t…" Whatever it is, whoever it is, Stiles hears it now. The hurried pace of the horse far in the distance but how far he could not say. All he knew is that they were heading for the village. He casts Isaac a worried glace before he is at his side, yanking his shoes on with no form of grace.

But really, who cares about grace at a moment like this?

Stiles scrambles off before Isaac but he soon hears the other omega behind him. The worry was something he hadn’t expected.  He couldn’t remember even being so desperate to find his father but desperation was a good tool in the art of seeking someone out. It heightens the senses.

Stiles and Isaac found the Alpha they were looking for the lavish garden of Stiles’ own house. Sitting peacefully under the willow tree and having a few well deserved moments of solace. And that makes Stiles feel terrible for interrupting his father but it was something he couln’t avoid doing.

“Father, people are coming to the village” Stiles says frantically, his father opening one eye to look at Stiles and Isaac. “Can’t you hear it?” He asks.

“I do” John replies softly, without anger that the omega’s had partially been expecting for interrupting him. Stiles isn’t sure why his father just sat there, not moving or worrying.

“Well?” He asks.

The alpha sucks in a deep breath before raising himself from small wooden bench beside his wife’s grave. “I count three horses” He explains. “So that is three men, unless of course there is two on each horse which, even then tally’s to six” Stiles rolls his eyes at the maths lesson but still listens to his father. “That isn’t enough to cause damage to our village. So chances are they are passing merchants, looking to sell their wares” It made sense to Isaac but not to Stiles.

He wasn’t taking the idea that they were just merchants as the truth. Merchants would move at a slower pace to protect what they were selling. “No” Stiles says, shaking his head. “They aren’t merchant, I’m telling you that” Stiles knew he would never get away with speaking like this to another Alpha.

Isaac kept his lips pressed in a thin line as he took a step back as to not be in the middle of the impending clash between Stiles and his father.

“Stiles” John’s voice is firm. “You are getting yourself worried over nothing” He brushed past his son, “Even if it was someone coming to attempt an assault on our village, three men will not be enough. I would take them out myself”

Stiles frowns at the words. “You are not a young man anymore, father” His father was getting on in years and he wasn’t the gifted warrior he once was.

“I am still capable of defending the village from a threat that is not even present” The words were said with a sense of finality. “I have heard enough on the matter” Stiles finds himself wants to say more but he knew he would only anger his father and that was something he wanted to avoid doing that.

“I guess we just have to relax” Isaac says, but he could still hear the thundering of the horses and their riders. “I mean it can’t been anything that bad if your dad isn’t worried about it?”

Sometimes Stiles wanted to hit Isaac for his naivety.

“I still have a bad feeling about this and when I have this feeling…” He leaves the sentence hanging because he know Isaac will be able to finish it.

“You are usually right” That only made Isaac feel uneasy. “Why don’t we just try to forget about it for now because it will only hand over our heads?”

Stiles knew that worrying about it constantly would only make himself feel worse.

“Maybe” Stiles drags his feet over the blades of grass to get to the wooden bench. He would need to let his breeches dry out anyways.

Maybe he was just worrying too much about everything but he could not put the overwhelming sense of dread to the side and Melissa’s words rang in his head like a bell.

_Times are changing_

Stiles wonders if instead it was for the worse than instead of for the good. He couldn’t believe he was getting all of this from simply hearing horses and their riders coming towards.

“Do you think I worry too much” Stiles asks as he pats the side of the bench for Isaac to sit beside him. “I’m getting really stressed about this is that normal?” His head hangs low as he speaks.

“I think you need to relax” Isaac says kindly. “Maybe it’s your desire to leave and the omega side of you is telling you that is a bad idea. It’s clouding your head and making you stressed” Isaac offers.

"Maybe" Stiles says lifting his head to look at the leaves that fell as the wind plucked them from the tree. He finds himself being soothed by the swaying of the braches.

It only lasts up to the time before the loud blaring of the horn that makes both omega’s jerk.

Stiles finds himself scrambling through the courtyard of his house. Out into the street to see the three riders they had heard back at the lake.

 Stiles just watches in disbelief as he looks the horse and the riders over. The emblem on the armour blazed in bright red. The triskilon only found on the head rider’s armour.

The symbol for House Hale. They were riders from the royal house.

“I don’t like this” Stiles swallows thickly as more and more of the villagers flooded out into the streets to get a look at the riders.

All Stiles could hear is whispers about the identies of the riders.

‘ _That’s Peter Hale, the Queen’s Brother’_ He hears one woman hush to her husband.

“Attention!” Peter calls, looking around at the people around him as he takes out his parchment. “The Elitist Pack has crossed our borders. We are now at war!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I am so sorry for the time it took to get done.  
> This chapter sucks I am warning you right now, I was n such a mad dash to get it out for all the lovely people who gave me kudos and comments so yeah.  
> Next chapter will be better and come sooner. I promise.

_‘We are at war.’_

Stiles’ blood runs like a frozen river through his veins at the words. He knew something was coming, something bad. And this was it.

He was part of a nation at war

“Deucalion, a dangerous and rabid Alpha formally from our own lands and traitor to the crown, has invaded our homeland with an army fifty-thousand strong.” _This was the third village Peter had visited to distribute news so by now he pretty much knew his speech of by heart. But he still got a chill at the terrified whimpers that he hears from the others. The look on the terrified villagers faces._  
“As by the national decree, an Alpha or Beta from every family must join the national armies” The camps for the new recruits were already set up all over the kingdom and there were three nearby, each family would be directed to which camp they would be sent to.

"No.” Stiles finds his hand wandering to grip at Isaac’s in a futile effort to keep himself grounded but it does nothing to help. He knows what this meant and his mind was racing as the Alpha reads out the names of the family’s in the village.

With each name being read out, an Alpha or Beta took place to take the letters being handed to them and with each passing family name Stiles feels worse and worse, the colour draining from his face.

“The McCall family.” Peter speaks loudly, looking to see who would come forward, expecting a large brute of a man but instead he spots a teenager. A boy no older than sixteen. He would have to have been in order to step forward. He wore a mask of man though and Peter acknowledges that, readying to hand the letter down when slender arms wrap around the boy’s body, pulling him back.

“Scott, no, you’re just a boy.” Stiles hears the frantically ramblings of his aunt, turning to see her gripping at Scott’s body in an effort to stop him. “I can go, you need to stay here.” Stiles had seen his aunt Melissa in many different states, ones of anguish, ones of terror but never one of sheer desperation like she was now.

The look of her face was bone chilling, the look of resignation that she could lose her only child.

“No, you have to stay here. You are the only healer this village has.” Stiles just stares, unable to move and hardly able to breath. He feels Isaac’s hand tightening around his own. He wasn’t just going to watch his cousin go off to war, his best friend was going to lose a mate. There were things Stiles thought he would never have to witness and this was one of them.

The air around them grew cold, not that it changed much as Stiles already felt the bitter cold bite of fear. Once bright hazel eyes were now dull, depressed as he watches Scott pulling out of his mother’s desperate embrace to walk up to the consul.

“I am ready.” Scott gives Lord Hale a swift bow before ushering his now sobbing mother back, trying to whisper to her in an effort to remind her that her place was here in the village.

Stiles doesn’t move when he feels Isaac’s hand leaving his own. He was trying to make sure he didn’t keel over. He couldn’t really hear anything other than the sound of his own heartbeat and he so desperately hoped that they wouldn’t call his family name. His father had done his duty, surely they would not expect him to do so again.

.”The Stilinski Family.” Well it was nice fantasy for Stiles as long as it lasted. It took a moment for the words to actually register in Stiles’ head. The sounds of gasps settling in when he finally saw his father striding towards Lord Hale with his head held high but Stiles couldn’t ignore the clear limp he walks with.

“I will be honoured to serve my country once again.” John had a sense of pride as he took the notice from one of Hale’s men, bowing respectfully.

“Father, no.” Stiles scrambles over his father, pushing him away to get in the space between Lord Hale and his father. He knew that this was the worst idea he has ever and possibly the worst thing he had ever done and the horrified mumbling from the crowds around them seem to prove that.

He was an omega and he had just interrupted two Alpha’s, one of which happened to be a member of a royal house. Stiles can almost feel everyone tensing up to see what Hale would do next. To see what punishment would be handed down to him. He wouldn’t be surprised if he was carted off to be imprisoned.

Stiles almost feels the world slowing down around him. Just to make him squirm.

“Stiles." John’s voice was low because even he did not know what would happen to Stiles for this display of insolence

"This one.” It wasn’t very often someone outside of his household had the guts to interrupt him. And never once had it been an omega. At least the boy came across as an omega. “He is yours?”

Peter speaks in a way that half makes Stiles want to run away and cower behind his father and half want to punch him extremely hard in the face. The former reaction was much more likely.

This distaste on the Alpha’s tongue was clear and John was aware of that. "Yes, my lord." He lowered his head, dark eyes glaring at his son so he could follow the gesture.

Stiles knew he had humiliated his father and he knew he would be in for it later but his father’s life was at risk here and he would do anything he stop him from going off to this war that was facing them all.

Peter leaned closer so he could get the best look he could at the insolent boy and Stiles suddenly feels extremely uncomfortable. “And he is an omega?”

He had to be because otherwise he would have just offered himself to take his father’s place.

"Yes, my lord.”

"Then perhaps you should teach him to learn his place in the presence of an Alpha.” Peter’s eyes linger on Stiles’ face and the omega felt the fear flooding into his body like ice.

"He is aware aren’t you Stiles?” Stiles, despite knowing the position he was in, still wants to make some snarky remark but he knew better.

“Yes, sir.” He gives an apologetic bow because it was the right thing to do. Show up his naturally submissive nature in an effort to please the clearly disgruntled Alpha.

It seemed to work as he simply heard a small scoff before the Alpha pull back, going to continue what he was doing before the scene was caused. Not that it does anything to stop the distressing feeling that coils tight in Stiles stomach and it was not because he knows he will be getting roared at later. It was because he knew his father will be sent to war. And in the state he was in at the moment the chances of him returning as a lifeless body in the back of a cart were more than likely. He had already lost his mother. He couldn’t lose his father now.

He just couldn’t.

“Inside" Stiles couldn’t even move for a moment, just had to let everything sit in his head about what was going on and what was going to happen. “Now, Stiles!” That was a direct order from an Alpha so he couldn’t ignore it. He just feels his feet moving from underneath him. He doesn’t even have a general direction in mind, just following where his feet led him. Which is how he found himself in the courtyard, not willing to actually go into the house.

Stiles couldn’t understand it. His father had done his duty for Queen and country all those years ago. He wasn’t a warrior anymore; he shouldn’t be expected to fight.

He consciously starts to move, breaking himself out of the zombie-like haze. The wind ruffles at his hair as he leads himself towards his mother’s grave. His place of sanctuary in moments of despair.

Moments just like this.

"It is happening again.” His pale and slender fingers reach out to stroke gently over the marble of the stone, his voice low as he keeps his eyes on the engraved letters of his mother’s name. "Father is getting sent off to war and I can’t do a damned thing about it." Part of him hopes for a reply that the other part of him knows isn’t coming. “But this time, I don’t have you to look after me when he is gone and…” He trails off, beginning to chew hard on his bottom lip. “And I know he isn’t coming back this time if he goes off to fight.”

Everything remained silent despite his desire to have something. His aunt always told him that the spirits watch over their loved ones for evermore.  He had hoped this to be true and somehow he could be shown a sigh. A direction of guidance that would point him to what he should do. If there was anything he could do.

He had always cursed being born as an omega but never more so than this moment.

The wind rustles through his hair and for a brief second it sent him into a calming state. Feeling the weight being lifted up from his shoulder gave him time to breath. Only for it to be forced back down seconds later.

"Why us, mom?" He asks as his body falls forward, head falling into hands. “One tragedy strikes and a few years later this happens?” His fingers threads into his hair, tugging at the light stands in the hopes the effort would relieve some stress.

It didn’t. Stiles just pulls back so he could sit up straight, eyes trained on the marble gravestone once more, almost transfixed. He doesn’t even notice as his claws start to dig into the flesh of his wrist.

"Stiles?” Isaac found his way into the courtyard moments after Stiles and for a time he just stood at the side and watched. Not willing to disrupt the moment. He would have continued to observe but he noticed the small rivulets of blood dripping down the omega’s arm.

Stiles doesn’t even notice Isaac coming, nor does he move when he feels his hands being pull away from another, his claws stained with the blood.

Isaac uses the sleeve of his tunic to start clearing away the blood from the rather deep claw marks on Stiles’ right wrist which would take a little longer to heal. The deeper the wound, the longer the healing process. He was almost scared to see Stiles like this but upon thinking more about it, he could not blame him.

To Isaac, family was something he never knew the true meaning of before he was taken in by Melissa. Before that he had never know what it was to be loved or to be respected. Before that he was simply an omega punching bag.

“Whatever happens, you will always have me.” Isaac promises as he tends to Stiles wounds. Whilst Scott had been out practicing with weaponry, Melissa had been teaching him the basics of healing. And he was thankful for that that in this situation. But whilst he could heal physical wounds, emotional or mental distress was not his forte.

It makes Isaac panic because the last thing he wanted was for Stiles to have a complete and utter mental breakdown. All he could think to do was rub soothingly at his friend’s back.

It takes Stiles some time to become fully aware of his surroundings once more. Aware of Isaac trying to calm him down. He couldn’t even remember the other omega coming over to him. It really was as if he had went into a trance. “Isaac?” Slowly, he looks down at his wrist where Isaac’s free hand was still stroking over the still healing wounds. He didn’t even feel any pain radiating from them

Isaac smiles, relaxing slightly. "You scared me” He says. “You went all ghostly state on me and I thought I was going to have to duck you into the water. I wouldn’t have been very happy about carrying you over to the lake."

Stiles lets out a weak laugh. "I would like to see you try.” The laugh only lasted for a few seconds before everything settle back into his head once again. “My father is going to die, Isaac.”

"You don’t have a lot of faith in your father’s skill set. He is a renowned warrior.”

“Faith?” The thought wormed its way into Stiles head and it only served to make the anger bubble in his blood. “There is a difference between having faith and being realistic. Everyone knows why Father is not as strong as he once was. Some days he cannot even stand without the aid of a cane. I know that if he goes off to fight in this war, the only way he is coming back will be as a dead body in the back of a cart” He didn’t want to snap at Isaac because he didn’t deserve that but his emotions were running wild.

Isaac just blinks but he doesn’t take offense to the harsh tone. How could he? This was the life of the Stiles’ most important person that was on the line.

From the outset where Isaac once stood, Melissa stood with her hands pressed to her mouth. This war was already tearing her family apart. Her son was to go off to war, her brother-in-law too and her nephew looked to be barely starving off a nervous breakdown.

"I..uh…I’m leaving tonight. Just as soon as I have everything gathered.” Scott says, placing a reassuring hand on his mother shoulder as he came up behind her. His free hand clutches the conscription noticed that had his family name on it. He looks over at Isaac and his cousin near his aunt’s grave. “What was that thing you used to tell me all the time?”

"Fate.” Melissa begins, wiping the tears from her eyes. "is a cruel mistress"

"She really is.” Scott whispers as he pulls his mother against his chest.

* * *

 

"Queen Talia has begun to raise her army.” Far to the west but still closer to the capital than the armies would have anticipated, a clearing in a mountain pass held host to a small council of five. “An Alpha and Beta from every household in the kingdom is to report to various training camps” The woman speaking was small and graceful looking but her voice was full of a vicious sneer. Prancing around the clearing, letting her bare feet tangle in with the grass and vines. “A futile effort” She scoffs.

She was the smallest and the only female amongst the other men. She gave no care to that minuscule detail. “Kali, you must remember that Queen Talia isn’t just any queen.” Kali waves off Deucalion before he could continue. Her dark skin contrasting beautifully with the white linin that wrapped around her small frame.

“She is the Warrior Queen” She had heard the story many times before. “But her kingdom shall soon be ours to inherit” She swiftly plasters herself to Deucalion’s side, hands press tight to his armour covered chest. His toes drumming off of the ground beneath her whilst her nails lightly scraped against the armour.

"Is this some twisted revenge fantasy because I did not sign up for this, I’m here because I was promised power." Of the remaining three was a huge hulk of a man who look as if he could uproot a tree with one hand. The remaining two were identical twins, of which the taller of the two spoke. “We help you, Deucalion and you promised me a reward.”

“Aiden, you will receive what you desire but only as soon as I acquire the throne” Deucalion speaks, wrapping a large hand around the small of Kali’s back. His eyes narrowing slightly on the man who had spoken.

"When _we_ acquire the throne.” Kali emphasises before swinging her head around to look at the twins. “Ethan, you should remind your brother to keep know his place” Her eyes flash a similar red to the rest of them but the twins don’t move and give no show that they are intimidated by her words.

There is a loud growl of distaste from the tallest member of the group. “Problem, Ennis?” Deucalion asks, his voice holds not emotion. Not that it was something that worried the more brutish member of the pack.

“Should we not try to work on letting our army deal with Talia’s whilst we sneak out way to the capital?"

"That is the coward’s route” Kali scoffs.

“Yes but statically it would be the smartest idea” Ethan speaks, looking up to Deucalion. Keep his eyes looked onto the eldest Alpha’s own. He casts another look at his brother. “The Queen will be expecting us to be leading the armies.

"No.” Ethan was surprised by the harsh outburst from their leader as was the rest of the pack. “Queen Talia is an expert tactical mind. She would expect us to make a distraction. She will have her armies placed at every entrance to her city.” Deucalion could practically feel of look of disgust that past Kali’s face even as he wasn’t looking at her. Of course he could tell it was simply a mask for jealousy. She was an idiot to think it would go unnoticed. “Going right ahead with an army is something she would deem to brash. So that is what we are going to do.”

"I see” Ethan hums.

"Do you doubt your Alpha, Ethan? Do you forget who it was that picked you are your brother up from the rut you were both in?" Kali purrs, almost as if she was a creature of more feline grace.

"We do not.” Ethan replies but he had the same smirk wrapping onto his face that Aiden had.

“And we think you need to remember that it was nothing to do with you.” The twins gather a sense of pride from the look that crossed Kali’s face. “So don’t presume to think you can put us in some kind of place.”

"Are you challenging me?” The tension hung over the three. "Soon I am to be Queen and you think you can speak to me like that." Kali may have been slightly dwarfed by the twins but she made up for it in her bloodthirsty nature. She would have problems with ripping them apart where they stood.

Aiden raises an amused brow at her. “But you aren’t queen just yet, are you?”

"So if you want to throw orders around, throwing them to someone who might give a damn.” Ethan continues on for his brother and Kali looks as if someone slapped her square in the face.

The twins had spent enough time scrounging for themselves and protecting one another to never be intimidated by someone like Kali. They were fearless.

Well, almost.

“Enough. We won’t get anywhere if we continue to squabble amongst ourselves.” It was rare that Deucalion lost control and it wasn’t something that the pack liked to see.

"I’m sorry, my love” Kali coos adoringly as she makes her way back to Deucalion’s side.

“If we are to take this Kingdom as our own, we need to be working in unison with each other.” He practically ignores Kali but he keeps her close to him.

Ennis crosses his arms over his chest lazily. "Of course"

“So where do we begin?” Aiden had a look of unadulterated bloodlust on his face. A look lost on his brother. “Kill as many of them as we can?” The twins exchanged glances with one another and it was clear both of them had different ideas on how they wanted this executed but really it wasn’t up to them.

It was up to Deucalion.

“We will pillage every town, every village on our way to the capital.”

Deucalion voice seemed to ignite a bloodlust in Kali. The idea of watching her enemies perish in agony just gave her such a rush. “That sounds wonderful. We will watch them burn.”

“For once I am inclined to agree with her” Aiden scoffs, looking down at his brother who simply had nothing more to say on the matter. Aiden knew his brother would rather play mind games of people rather than torture them.

Deucalion pushes himself away from Kali, taking a few strides until he was right in the centre of the clearing where the branches of the trees sepreated above him and the moon sat high in the sky. It was almost like a halo. "This kingdom should have been mine to begin with."

The tale had been relayed to the pack so many times that they could begin to tell it themselves. None of them really cared about the history, only what they would get out of it.

Except from Kali of course.

“It’s getting late” Ennis says calmly. “Surely we can discuss this more in the morning?” Deucalion simply waves him off, letting him retire. He knew the twins would follow him out. They would take any chance to get away from Kali. And he knew the she-wolf would not leave his side.

“This is going to be so easy.” Her hips sway with each word she speaks. The way the moonlight shines off of her dark skin makes her look like some kind of heavenly deity. But looks were deceiving.

Deucalion reached a hand to wrap it around her hips, pulling her close. He knew how damn beautiful she was. Beautiful and could tear a man to shreds in a matter of seconds. She was almost perfect for him.

Almost. But he would never say that to her. She would find that one out all on her own. In time of course.

Kali places her hands flat against Deucalion’s chest, looking up at him with complete adoration in her eyes. “Soon you will sit on the throne that was meant for you and I—I shall sit at your side.”

His fingers slid so they could drum off of the small sliver of skin that was exposed between the rags of linin that wrapped around her to cover flesh. He knew she was a warrior who needed no armour.

The touches were small but he knew how much it pleased her

"We shall slay everyone who is our enemy?" Kali whispers in delight.

“And who is our enemy?” He lifts one hand to comb his claws through her bushy raven locks that remained to feel like silk despite everything.

“Everyone who doesn’t think like us.” She growls deeply, claws slightly scraping down his armoured chest. “Anyone who supports _her._ ” Kali seethes, her hatred for the queen was not something that was easily kept down.

“Indeed” His fingers started to feel up the length on her spine. “But you must contain your fury until the time is right.”

“Of course.” Kali whispers as she raises her head to look at the moon. “We are going to rule our kingdom with an iron fist. No one will ever dare to doubt us. We were made to be rulers.”

Deucalion had chosen Kali well. He knew that much. She was a suitable replacement at the least.

* * *

Peter wishes he could have returned home to the safety and security of the his palace home, but he was a Hale and despite his own feelings on the matter, returning home right now would only serve to show he was a man not deserve of his name.

Although being kept in the pitiful excuse for a training camp was literally making him desire to just kill half of the recruits that had already began to arrive

“Look sharp, uncle” Peter has himself perched on a post, just near the gates as he tries to make a guess at who the decent recruits will be. Sometimes you could tell, at least that was what he firmly believed. “Most of the recruits will be arriving tomorrow and the day after their training will begin.” He tries not to pay attention to his niece but it didn’t last very long before he turns to her.

“What are the odds that we will come out on top? Do you know what they are, because I do and it does not look good.” It was his duty to know these things as advisor to the Queen.

“We must do our duty for the Queen. We must do everything in our power to protect her and the citizens.” Laura’ was loyal to the point of stupid and sometimes Peter just wish to tell her to think about her own life. “I promised the Queen I would bring her Deucalion’s head and that is exactly what I shall do.” The general grits through her teeth, barely containing her rage.

“Ambitious.” He says with a smug grin.

They sat simply perched on the wooden beams of the walls that surrounded the camp watching the small flood of new recruits. Peter couldn’t help but let his heart accept the feeling of dread that settled in the pit of his stomach. He knew he was going to lose someone close to him. One of his family was going to die in this war.

One being the very least but it would almost certainly be more.

“It’s a nice view from here.” Laura says, softly. Her gaze settling on the mountains in the distances, lit up in dazzlingly lights by the tiny villages that dotted across its path. “Cora would have loved to have seen this”

“She would have. She would have been trying to paint that” It was the soft laughter and thought that simply made him worry more. His youngest niece would have no idea what was going to happen. Her mother facing a war, both her siblings being sent to fight.

 “I miss her, Peter.” Laura leans forward as if trying to get a better glimpse of the people before her. “In the space of a year I have seen her twice. She hasn’t seen Derek at all in that time either.”

“She knows you are both doing your duty.” Peter places a reassuring hand on Laura’s knee. “Fight so you can go home to your sister.”

“Something worth fighting for.” Laura smiles. “Something worth defying everyone for.” Her eyes lower sadly. “Perhaps even someone worth dying for.” And that was exactly what Laura’s family meant to her.

* * *

Every second ticking by was just making everything worse. Stiles couldn’t even bare to lift his head as his family gathered around the stable in the courtyard to bid their farewells to his cousin.

He was upset to see Scott go but he couldn’t find it in himself to show it all that much. That must have been down to the fact he cared more about his father than anyone else.

“I will leave in the morning.” Usually Stiles found it in him to say something any time his father makes a remark but he just stayed silent. Willing himself to pretend that this wasn’t real. “I’ll meet up with you at camp.”

“I’ll see you there, uncle” Scott was polite as he always was in the matter. Stiles knew his cousin was keeping is emotions as contained for everyone’s sake. He knew his aunt was trying to not to fight against Scott’s choice.

Scott finishes placing all of his weapons and essentials on the back of the horse before he remembers to say his goodbyes.

Stiles took a step back, letting Scott say his goodbyes to his mother and to-be-mate first off.

“It isn’t too late to change your mind” Melissa takes her son’s face in her dainty hands. “I can go in your place, You can stay here. You have a bright future ahead of you.”

Stiles wishes there was someone else here that bared his family name. Someone else that could go and fight in his father’ place. But no. It was just him. A useless omega.

He really was living up to all those names Mr Harris calls him.

The silence hung in the air as Melisa threw herself into Scott’ arms, sobbing weakly in against his chest. The only other sounds were the crashing of the waves against the shore of the nearby lake and other incoherent sobs of the other families that were accepting the loss before they even left.

"My little boy." It scares Stiles suddenly, shocking him into a sudden realization. Scott was only a few months older than he was. He was sixteen. He was still just a child. A child going off to war.

Alpha or not. Stiles couldn’t comprehend how this was allowed.

He suddenly just wants to reach out and plead for Scott to stay as well. This was the kid he had been with his entire life. His cousin who never cared whether he was an omega or not, never looked down upon him like the others did. He couldn’t believe how selfish he had been in not showing any emotion to his departure.

He couldn’t believe the severity of the situation was only hitting him right now. In theory he thought all he cared about was his father but now-now when it was right in front of his eyes, he could feel how much it was pulling him apart.

Scott moves over to Isaac, fingers curl onto his omega’s hips, leaning in to press his forehead against Isaac’s. “You’ll be waiting for me?” he asks sweetly.

Stiles glances up through his lashes at the couple, feeling a tight tug at his heart.

“Of course I’ll wait.” Isaac was so soft spoken that it was a surprise the others could hear him, the thundering of his heart was much louder than his words and it told a bigger story. “I’ll be right here. Counting the days until you return to me,” His eyes couldn’t even lock with Scott’s. “I-I can’t do much else.”

Scott brings him into a soft kiss, more so to reassure him than anything else. His fingers tugging him closer still. “I’ll keep you in my thoughts until I return.”

Stiles had never felt more out of place and he had never felt more alone as he watching the adoring scene between the two lovers.

"Stiles?” He spends so much concentrating on the whirlwind of emotions that ripped through his head and body that he didn’t even see Scott detaching himself from Isaac to come over to him.

He took a moment to compose himself, trying to look as he usually did but it was much more difficult. "I know. I’ll look after your mom and Isaac for you."

Scott leans in closer so his lips were just up at Stiles’ ear. "And I’ll look after your father. You have my word."

Stiles wasn’t expecting that. He wasn’t expect the rush of tears that poured down his face after Scott pulled back. “Thank you.” He couldn’t say anything else.

“I’ve said everything I needed to say.” Scott has all the looks of an Alpha Warrior as he took to mount the horse that would take him to his assigned camp. “I will be back.” He swore with a bright smile. A smile that was infectious to everyone even though it tore a little piece of their hearts that they had to be parted like this.

Stiles moved closer to Isaac taking his hand as Scott clipped the horse to ride out of the courtyard. “He’ll be back, he’ll be back.” Isaac was chanting like a mantra. The only thing that was keeping Stiles from treading down the same route was his grip on Isaac’s hand

One member of his family was already gone.

Come morning, the other would be gone as well.

* * *

 

“Warriors.” Derek was have trouble keeping track of his sister’s every word namely because she was waving a dagger around as she spoke. “We are training warriors here, brother.”. He half expects Laura to throw the dagger at him with the expectation that he would catch it. Just as she usually done. He keeps a close eye on his sister. At times she was unpredictable.

She pads around graceful as ever, the glimmering of the metal blade seen from between her fingers. Wrapped up in a beige tunic which was rare for her to been seen without her armour.

That didn’t really matter. He was pretty damn sure his sister could kill a man in a matter of seconds even if she was naked. Not that he needed to think about that at all. Ever.

Laura balances the blade on the tip of her forefinger. “Deucalion is more dangerous than any other threat we have ever faced before.”

"I know that Laura. You seem to play me for a fool." He stands, still wearing his own heavy armour. He wals closer to his sister, the clinking of the metal being the only sound for a few seconds. He knows his sister has a game plan. She always has one.

“Derek” Laura whispers, her voice assuring but that was all he got. Everything else about his sister screamed ‘vengeance’. The look that crossed her face, the way her hands balled into fists at her side were common place for woman on a mission. “This is the man who is responsible for our father’s death. The man that tore our father from us when Cora was still a mere pup.” Sometimes Derek had to remind himself that his sister had a vulnerable side. A side that was easily take over by the rage and fury of the past.

“Anchor” He reaches out to grips at her shoulder. He knew what her anchor was which was a good thing since it was one of the only things that brought Laura back.

“Family” Derek knew there wasn’t much else that could have a lasting effect of his sister. She was far too preoccupied with everything else to have a mate. The only thing more important to her than her duty was her family.

Which in reality were pretty much the same thing.

“We have to kill him. We have to do this. If not for ourselves then for mother.” Laura’s eyes look tired, not the rest of her body. Just the eyes. As if she had seen too much. “I can’t bring myself to care about anything else now. The more I think about it, the more I want to see him beg for death.” Derek had to remind himself to step back one he saw the glimmer of red in her eyes.

"Laura, we have to eliminate the threat in a way that is appropriate” His grips tightens on her shoulder at an attempt to calm her.

Her eyes flare once more

Well that didn’t work.

"I know the appropriate way in order to do it, Derek. I’m the goddamn imperial general” Talk about a power trip. Something he had never seen his sister indulge in before. "I will find the traitor and capture him so I can put him on show. So I can humiliate him." Laura clutches the knife tight in her hands before throwing it into one of the wooden poles that held the tent up. There was something increasingly feral about her voice. “Once I have humiliated him, I will start to torture him. I will stick him with so many wolfsbane tipped knifes he will be begging for my mercy.”

"Laura" Derek says as his sister breaks away from him.

“And when he begs I will tear him into shreds.” She was more animal than anything else. A state Derek had never seen her in before. And one he wanted to relive her from as soon as he could.

“Contain yourself. You must deal with it in the way mother desires.”

“I am the general!” She screeches, arms flaring out wildly and Derek is taken fully aback by the outburst. “I can do whatever the hell I want with this and this is what I want.”

It was if the rush had power had finally gotten to her head.

“For god sakes, Laura.” He gripped her tight by the shoulders, shaking her roughly as she elated a manic laughter.

Derek never had much thought about going after the people responsible for his father’s death. He knew what fate they deserved but he had never pursed it, physically or mentally. Evidently, Laura had and it had driven her into a complete manic state. “Listen to yourself. You sound like a mad woman.”

The mad general. Had a certain ring to it.

But that wasn’t the point. The point was that Laura had become so fixated with finding and killing Deucalion that it was going to destroy everything she had worked so damn hard to build.

Her army.

Her Reputation.

Her sanity.

It was as if there was a haze in Laura’s head that suddenly began to clear up. Derek could notice her eyes widened, as if finally noticing what she had been rambling on about and what she had been saying. “Laura?” He whispers, fingers pressing gently into her shoulder.

Laura sucked in a deep breath, her own hands pressing into her stomach in an effort to calm herself down. “I’m fine. I’m fine.”

Derek just watched her for a moment, not really believing that she was as fine as she said.

“Laura, you are the general of the imperial army.” Derek was much more reserved that his sister. He always had been. Even before their father’s death all those years ago. But he understood the sort of mind set a general was expected to have. “You can’t have outburst like that. You at the liability of getting everyone under your command maimed or killed.” Derek settled himself back down amongst the plush cushions and furs.

“I-” She knew she had no excuse to explain what she had done. “Don’t tell mother. Don’t tell Peter!” She fisted her hands in her hair. “My competence to the job could be compromised if either of them discover. I have never done it before.” He whispers trying to cover up what she had done.

There was a loud lashing sound as the flaps of the tent opened to accommodate Peter who choose the worst time to enter. “Something the matter?” Derek was a sceptic, he was certain his uncle had been listening in on Laura’s psychotic outburst.

His uncle always did have that amused smirk on his that freaked Derek out more than it really should have.

A rush of heat ran up Laura’s body in embarrassment and in worry. She knew what would happen if her uncle told her mother what he had scene. A general was required to be a person who is mentally together. What if she had an outburst like that on the field and led all of her troops to a certain death through her own incompetence?

Or what if she simply fails her mother and sister back in the capital?

Peter came around at her side, watching her carefully. He knew something was wrong simply because of the panicked looks of his niece and nephew’s face. He wasn’t the damned fool they took him for.

“Everything is fine uncle” Laura composed herself, brushing down her tunic. “I was just conversing with Derek about what we plan to do with Deucalion once we have captured him and his main members of his pack.”

"I can see that" Peter says, gesturing out to Laura’s dagger which she had thrown much earlier.  "Are we going to put him on show to the world and throw knives at him?"

Both Laura and Derek tried to not laugh but they couldn’t really stop themselves. "Well that does sound like an excellent idea." Laura whispers, throat raw from the screaming she had been doing. Completely forgetting it was an idea she had herself. “But nearly not as painful enough." She snarks and for it receives an nudge to her side from Derek.

“Deucalion will answer for his crimes. All of them.” Derek says calmly and Laura couldn’t help but smile at how reserved her younger brother was.

“I should hope so but you will bring him alive to the palace. Your mother deserves her revenge too you know. If, of course, she can bear to see him.” The way Peter spoke, almost reminiscently, had Laura and Derek confused.

“Of course she will want to see him. He is responsible for our father’s death. Her husband. Why would she not want to see him?” Laura queries. “A former member of the high guard who betrayed his post and his king and queen.”

Peter elated a short, cold laughter. “Oh he was much more than that” He walks closer to his bewildered niece and nephew. “A traitor of the highest sorts. Deucalion and your mother’s path intertwine far beyond the bound of a queen and a member of the guard.”

“Are you going to tell us or are you going to continue to be ever so cryptic about this?” Derek deadpans.

“Your mother and Deucalion were lovers.” Peters leans against the tallest wooden post where the knife was still embedded. Taking care to study their expressions. They did not look impressed at all. Horrified would have been the better thing to say.

“No.” Laura shook her head in defiance. “Our mother had standards. She loved our father with all of her heart.” It did fit in as her mother very rarely spoke of anything in her life prior to their father.

“That she did.” Peter confirms. “But this was long before she had ever met your father. When she had barely graced Cora’s age. He grew up in the palace alongside us. I never really paid much attention to them because I had better things to do.” Peter shrugs, not prepare to divulge his life back then to Laura and Derek. “But they were very much in love with one another. Spent every day with one another and over time, Talia forgot her duties as a princess in favour of being with him.”

“What happens?” Derek asks and he isn’t sure he wants to know.

“What always happens in royalty.” Peters says simply, trying to push the memory of Talia’s face on that day out of his mind. An arranged marriage.”

That was added to the list one things Laura and Derek didn’t know about their parents. “Arranged?”

“Of course” He chuckles. “My mother wanted Talia to be wed to an Alpha as powerful as she would one day become.” He leans in closer. “Alpha couples makes for powerful Alpha heirs” He gestures to the both of them.

“So Deucalion…?” Laura said carefully, not wanting to believe.

“Originally he and your mother planned to elope. Leave for a more simpler life.” He noticed the gaze they were giving him. “I eavesdropped.” Derek simply gave a nod to his uncle. “But once your mother met your father she was enraptured. Heart taken and naturally she began to ignore him. Her time being taken solely up by your father. She rarely spent time with him anymore and in Deucalion’s eyes she had committed the most heinous of crimes.”

“And what was that?”

“She had forgotten what they had.” Peter pushes himself off of the wooden beam “She had forgotten him.”

 

* * *

 

“I will look after him Melissa. Don’t worry.” Stiles keeps his head down as he listened to the exchange between his father and his aunt. Dinner was a much more depressing affair than it ever had been before. Not that it was really a surprise. Words hadn’t really been spoken ever since Scott left and Stiles certainly hadn’t gathered the courage to begin a conversation with his father yet.

He just couldn’t bring himself to face was what going on. Not fully at least. The house didn’t even feel like his home anymore and his father hadn’t even left yet. All that had happened since Scott’s departure was his aunt silently beginning dinner and mutter how she and Isaac would move into the much larger house to keep Stiles safe. And all he could really think about was how he wasn’t the one who would need the protecting anymore.

“Thank you” Melissa’s voice was soft but it was easy to tell she had been crying yet again.

“You shouldn’t have to go.” Stiles knew how the conversation would go but he had long since lost the ability to hold his tongue. “You have done your duty for Queen and country all those years ago. Whatever kind of debt you have to the state, it has been paid.”

He doesn’t dare lift his head to look at his father but he feels the tensions in the air getting thick. He could feel his aunt and Isaac also trying to pretend like they weren’t here so they could avoid what they all knew was coming.

“We are protected by the Queen. Giving free reign over her lands and been able to live a comfortable life thanks to her. We are always in debt to her. We fight in her honour”

It was the same generic crap that he had expected. His father was a noble man but in Stiles eyes he was too noble for his own damn good. “You risk your life for an enemy that is not even yours. How many people have to die in the name of a Queen who isn’t even going to fight forever herself? She and her goddamn family stay cooped up in a gigantic house whilst people going out and fight an enemy that has a problem with her. It’s stupid. She should fight her own damn war.” Stiles is aware that he had practically just committed an act of treason but he was past caring. The Queen’s ignorant fool of a brother could have still been here and he still would have said it. Upon giving it more thought, that was the true meaning of bravery. Or stupidity. Depending on how one looked at it.

“That is enough, Stiles.” John still managed to remain calm which surprised Stiles for a split second before it irritated him. “I am proud to fight for the queen. Any enemy of the Queen’s is an enemy of mine and if I die protect our land them I will die happy.” Stiles’ balk as his father mentioned dying.

“You’ll die for a cause that isn’t even your own.” He lets his eyes flicker over to his aunt and Isaac for a brief second. Both heads hung as if they were trying to pretend that for one moment that they weren’t in a different place. “Why don’t you understand that your place now is here.” Stiles knew he could only push his father so far before he snapped.

He had reached that limit.

“My place?” Large hands slam against the table with enough force to elated a terrified yelp from Melissa. In hindsight John was aware he should have done the action so aggressively but the matters at hand to precedence. “I am a warrior. I know where my place is” His face contorted in anger and it was a sight Stiles had rarely seen before. “It’s about high time you learned your goddamn place.”

Stiles eyes were blown wide in shock. Never. Not once in his life had his father ever said that to him. Everyone else had, Mr Harris the other omega’s even Scott and his aunt at times but never had his father told him to learn his place.

Until now at the very least.

The look on his aunt’s face was one of shock because she knew what Stiles was going to do next, even before he himself knew was he was going to do.

“Stiles.” He was already out and running by the time he heard his aunt’s cries. He knew she would end up totally unloading on his father but he didn’t bring himself to care about that.

He just needed to get away from the house away from the impending sense of death that hung around him like a thick black and toxic cloud.

He tears down the streets and twisted alleyways of the village that were dangerous places for an omega to be alone on any normal night.

But this wasn’t a normal night and that much he knew. He could hear the cries that echoed from every corner of the village. The cries of mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives and the most distressing cry of all was the cry of the children. Children who knew that this could very well be the last time they see one of their parents.

A dilemma that he himself was facing.

His strides took him to the lake. It was one of the two places where he would go if the feeling of ‘fight or flee’ arose and since he was an omega, naturally he would have to flee. That along with the fact he had never been taught to fight. He had wanted to attend training with Scott but no. He had to go to that stupid ‘Omega Obedience’ class.

If only he had been born a beta. If only he had been born to be better than what he was then he would have been able to take his father’s place.

His body crumbles down to the jagged rocks, slicing into his skin but he was past caring about the minor injuries that the rocks would cause. They would heal.

He starts panting almost breathless before he let out a shrill cry of distress, not caring who would heard him. Maybe the Queen’s pompous consul would hear him and understand this was too much for his family.

Fat chance.

One thing he had learned over time was that most Alpha’s were ruthless, uncaring for omega’s feeling and the such like. That and the fact the man was also the Queen’s brother, explains the whole pompous part quite well.

His fingers scratches and grip at the dirt and rocks beneath the pads of his fingers. He couldn’t really bring himself to do anything now. All he could really do was acknowledge the sickening feeling of dread that settled in the pit of his stomach.

If only there was some kind of way he could take his father’s place. If he could work his way into the army and pose as someone else.

It hit him like a brick to the head, hard, fast and it made him overwhelmingly dizzy.

“Stiles Stilinski you are a genius.” He whispers to himself as he mentally draws out his plans in his head. If he were to steal his father’s conscription notice and disguise himself as someone else, he would save his father’s life. Of course possibly at the cost of his own but that much did not scare Stiles. Death wasn’t something to be afraid of. At least not in his eyes.

It would call for every inch of his mind to work out this most complex of puzzles of ‘how to infiltrate the army and pretend you are a beta.’

Which, to Stiles, sounded incredibly badass.

He knew what being caught would mean. Death. Death on all fronts of this mission but again, it didn’t scare him.

In his sixteen years of life, he had never once left the walls of the village. It was like a prison. A home-like prison but a prison nevertheless.

This was more than an opportunity to save his father’s life, it was an opportunity to see the world that was beyond the highly stocked walls of his village. It was also a chance to prove to himself what he could do. He was more than just some little omega who was destined to live a life of catering to an Alpha that would probably just abuse him anyways.

Of course he would need to act fast if his father was due to leave tomorrow morning; he would need to do this by tonight, when everyone slept.

After about an hour of trying to work out every strenuous detail of his technically treacherous plan, Stiles finally gathers the strength to drag himself back through the streets which were now silent. No more distressing cries. Only deathly silence.

Silence. The sound of defeat.

At least that was what his father used to tell him.

Eventually, Stiles arrives back at the large house which really was more of a house now than it was a home. Almost silently pushing the door open so he could slip inside undetected.

“I was wondering when you would come home.” Stiles body jumps about twenty feet into the air at the voice.

He finds his aunt Melissa sitting at the table, hands folded elegantly on her lap. She didn’t look angry, just scared. Her eyes were puffy and red, evidently she had been crying again. He couldn’t stop the feeling of guilt that tugs at his heart.

“I just needed some time to myself.” Whilst it wasn’t a complete lie, he had to keep his heartbeat steady because his aunt had many talents. One of those happened to be spotting ulterior motives.

“I understand.” Melissa stretches her legs out before pressing her bare feet to the stone flooring. Slowly, she pushes herself up in a graceful manner. Stiles always believed his aunt was like some kind of angel. She was a kindred spirit but at the same time she was not one who would have people taking advantage of her. Which is why she is one of the only people that Stiles had ever heard of to break a mating.

She had good enough reasoning.

“But right in this moment, more than anything, you need family.” Stiles wanted to believe that as the truth but it wasn’t enough. He needed an assurance that his father’s life would safe. Being with family was not enough.

“Maybe.” He moves closer to his aunt, a weak smiles plays at his lips.

Melissa’s hands stretch out slowly cupping his cheek in delicate manner. For a small second Stiles remembers his mother’s touch and how agonizingly similar Melissa was to his late mother. He sometimes forgets his aunt and his mother were twins. His mother used to tell his that twins were two people with one soul.

“I will always be here to protect you and to keep you safe. I will never let any harm come to you.” The soft thumb brushed over his cheek and Stiles felt his head falling into the touch.

“You should go to sleep. It’s been a long day for all of us.” It was as a touching moment but he would need for his aunt to retire to the spare rooms of the large house, equipped for when any of them stayed here instead.

“Okay.” Melissa pulls her hand back and reaches up to press a light kiss to her nephew’s forehead. “Good night.” She brushes past him, leaving him alone in the much too large room.

The feeling of dread was back again. The feeling that he wouldn’t pull this off and his father really would be pulled up to fight. He swallows around the thick lump that was embedded in his throat. His body flops down almost involuntary on the chair where his aunt had been sitting. The room suddenly felt as if it were caving in on him. His fingers gripped at the edge of the table in an effort to stabilize himself.

The weight of what he was going to do just started to crash right down on his shoulders. He couldn’t let that stand in his way.

Minutes pass but he doesn’t count them. His ears strained out for any noise or any indication that would point out that someone else was awake. But there was none. He was the only one awake and that was perfect.

Time to begin.

Before he done anything he needed to make himself look different. He couldn’t walk right up to an army camp looking as he done right now. Sure Scott would be there but he would get his cousin to keep his mouth shut. He hops off of the chair, moving around the house with the stealth that only an omega could possess. Moving swiftly from room to room without making so much as a squeak.

In his house his father kept a few things together from his days at war in a small armoury. Daggers, arrows and blades. The only one to really come and go from this room was Scott. It was a little more empty now that Scott had went off, emptying it out slightly.

He stands in the doorway, looking around at the glass cabinets which look half empty by now. His hands tremble as he walks over to one of the smaller of the cabinets, ghosting his fingers over the glass for a moment before pushing it open, hands reaching out to grip at a small dragger. Blade glinted perfect from the moonlight that burst through the window, proving to be the only light.

The blade was only a few inches long, Stiles skims his fingers over edge, watching as it cuts a clean lean into his skin, the blood gathering for a few seconds before it heals over.

“Here goes nothing.” His free hands reaches to grip at the strands, tugging them straight so he could bring the blade right to the root of his hair, hacking it off. His heart lurches a little. He loves his hair.

The price of devotion, right?

The process didn’t take too long. The blade easily cuts through the brown stands, leaving Stiles surrounded in a circle of hair strands. Both his hands smooth over his now buzzcut hair.

He pushes himself up standing so he could move to a looking glass. Stiles felt a little uncomfortable by the person who stares back. It doesn’t even feel like himself. He felt like someone else entirely.

But that was a good thing. He needed to let go of who he used to be and assume his new identity.

That was one part done. Now he just had to gather some armour and steal his father’s conscription notice. Both sounding like such easy tasks. He didn’t care for cleaning up the mess of his hair on the floor. They would surely notice he was missing before they noticed the hair on the floor of the armoury.

He sucked in a deep breath as he started to move through the house again, he tried to keep himself from making sudden movements as he walked from the armoury to his father’s bedroom.

He knew his father wasn’t a light sleeper and he wouldn’t have to worry too much about him.

He sneaks his head around the door, watching as his father curls up on himself. He knew why he was doing this. He knew from the start why he was doing this but seeing his father only made it all the more clear.

The floors boards made no noise whatsoever as he slips over to the bedside table, slender fingers reached out to grip the parchment, never once taking his eyes off of his father’s sleeping form.

“I’m sorry. I’m doing this because I have to.” He mouths before he sneaks back out of the bedroom, tugging the parchment under his arms.

Last port of call. The armour.

The old armour was found in a small outhouse they had in the yard. It was full of his father’s old armour which was kept hung up as it was a trophy. The armour on the ground didn’t look as graceful and that would be because it was Scott’s.

It was still going to be a little too big and Stiles knew that but he would deal with it. He picks up the armour, taking the top part first and wrapping it around his body.

 After a few moments he was ready. He was ready to go off to war and he never thought he would have that thought in his head.  He had hoped that he might have felt like a beta if he had hoped to impersonate one but he didn’t.

He crossed the yard to lone stable that stood, keeping a swift pace because anyone could wake up at any time. He had to get out of here now. 

Since Scott had already taken then young horse that his father had bought a few years ago so that Stiles could learn riding-a skill he had never stuck- the only horse left was the much older mare.

The poor creature seemed startled and Stiles took at as a good sign of his disguise but he had to keep the horse silent. “Shh, it’s me.” He had a low voice which the horse seemed to understand, calming down on command.

"Just listen to me.” He looks around, making sure he is still alone before taking to mount the horse. He got himself settled before pressing his forehead to horse’s neck, breathing in the scent, trying to calm himself down before clipping the reigns. “Go!”

In  moments, he was bursting through stables, through the yard and out into the streets. He keeps his head low just in case anyone saw him and tried to hinder him.

* * *

 

Isaac awoke, feeling sick. Maybe it was the feeling of his mate being away already starting to take its toll on him. He laid out in his bed, tossing and turning and he tried to will the feeling away. He hated the feeling of loneliness, knowing it too well.

He waited, eyes trained on the door, hoping Scott would appear like he did most night when they were back at the Scott’s own household. But nothing happened and he had resigned himself to the fact his mate was gone. Maybe never to return.

He could only handle the crushing feeling for so long before it became too much. He threw the covers back; letting his body feel the chill of the night air. He needed water. This house felt so foreign to him. It was much larger than the compound he shared with Scott and Melissa just down the road. Their home was his home now. This was just a place he was staying regardless of how many times he had been here.

The corridors were winding and he was sure he was going to get lost. All he could hope for was that he wouldn’t wake anyone up.

He drags his feet through the halls looking into every room he passed just so he could remember which way to come back in order to get back to his room.

Something stalls him through. He looked straight ahead to the open door of the armoury. The moonlight shone onto the floor, bright enough for Isaac to see the strands of hair on the floor.

His heart fell into his stomach as he moves closer. He knew exactly what it meant before he even got into the room. “Melissa! John!” His voice, a high pitched screech, loud enough to wake anyone up.

He falls to his knees, his hands going to pick at the strands. Eyes already watering. “No. Please.” He knew the best idea would have been to go and check Stiles’ bedroom but he couldn’t bring himself to move

"Isaac—Isaac, what’s the matter?” Melissa was the first to leap out of her bed, skidding around the house as she follows the sound of Isaac’s voice.

John was up like a shot, hurrying out of his own bed, not noticing the missing conscription notice at the side of the bed. He was far too preoccupied with finding out what had freaked the omega out enough to make him scream.

Isaac looks around as the adults rush into room, turning around to open his hand, showing the lock of chestnut coloured hair off. He noticed the expressions of terror work onto both their faces.

John darts off without hesitation, too terrified to do anything other than hope to whatever deity was out there was this was some weird occurrence. His son wouldn’t do this; he couldn’t “Stiles!”

He breaks to a halt at the doorframe to his son’s room, the room looking completely immaculate and untouched. Exactly how it had been left the previous morning.

"John!” Melissa cries, having left Isaac in the armoury to check for the conscription letter. Hoping Stiles hadn’t done was she thinks he had done. Her hands gripping at the wall to steady herself. The absence of the notice was only serving to settle truth to her fears.

"No, he can’t have.” John eyes were glued to the bedside table. He was going to throw up, his body was wracked with fear, distress and any other negative emotion he could think of. "I have to go and get him.” He was not about let his son run off to war in an effort to spare him. “Melissa, I have to go and get him, now. He is an omega. He cannot fight, he will be killed." He couldn’t lose his son.

Her hands grip at her John’s biceps. “And do what!?” She cries but she knew what her point was. “If they find him out, he definitely will be killed.” The pair could only stare at one another.

“Scott will bring him home.” Melissa whispers, trying to soothe John. “He has to bring him home." 


End file.
